Macy’s (NYSE: M) says it wants to make checking out at its stores less of a hassle.
The American retail behemoth’s CEO Jeff Gennette told an audience in Las Vegas will roll out a mobile checkout option, powered by its mobile app, to all full-line Macy's stores by the end of 2018.
The company is also adding an augmented reality shopping experience for furniture to the Macy's app, hitting phones as early as next month for some shoppers. With the upgrade, customers will be able to virtually place Macy's furniture within their own living spaces, seeing how it looks there before they buy.
"It's the most competitive [retail] environment we've ever seen," Gennette said at ShopTalk. "Macy's heritage isn't going to be enough to guarantee success."
Macy's has been testing the mobile checkout option at its store in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The platform allows shoppers to scan bar codes on items (apparel, home goods, etc.) with their phones, as they add merchandise to their baskets in stores. Relevant discounts and rewards will also be applied, via a shopper's loyalty account, throughout.
When customers are finished shopping, they will head to a special counter for mobile checkout, where an associate will remove security tags and make sure the number of items scanned add up to those paid for. Then, they're ready to go.
Macy's will also soon start piloting mobile checkout at its Bloomingdale's location in New York's SoHo neighborhood, with plans to grow the platform to this department store brand at a later date.
M shares added 33 cents, or 1.1%., to $29.23 Monday morning.
